War??

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Keela

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I was playing Leaf Green a few days ago and decided to try beating Lt. Surge. Before you battle him he gives the usual gym leader-esque speech, but this line piqued my interest:
I tell you, kid, electric pokémon saved me during the war!
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Is a war ever mentioned again in FR/LG, or in any of the pokemon games? I'm thinking it was put in just to add to the whole "Lightning American"/GI Joe thing, but I just want to be sure :p
 
Yes, Lt. Surge, in GSC, says "I'll pound you just like I did my enemies on the BATTLEFIELD" or something. It's mentioned that he used electric pokemon to power his airplanes (although this is strange, as it's implied he was a grounds unit) in another game. A Gentleman says that Lt. Surge saved his life during the war.

Well.... I have nothing to back it up, but I keep on thinking it might possibly be a reference to the Vietnam war.
 
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Velveteen said:
Well.... I have nothing to back it up, but I keep on thinking it might possibly be a reference to the Vietnam war.
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I'm almost 99.999% certain he's talking about 'nam.

He looks too young to be a WWII or even Korean War veteran. And I think might be a little too old to be a Gulf War veteran.
 
Is there a Vietnam? Has nobody thought of the possibility of a war in Pokemon regions being the war in question?

I mean i know in the Anime and (maybe?) games there have been references to japan and amereica etc, but do we really think they are places in this world? Or just something that the writers/programmers hoped would fall into retcon limbo?

Im going for a war in a particular region (johto/kanto etc), as opposed to a war such as Vietnam/WWII.
 
I'm pretty sure pokemon are worldwide in that world, not just confined to known regions.

And if they were really retconning it, the reference to Surge being the "Lightning American" would have been taken out in the rerelease. As well as the dex entries that mention real-world places and the date of the moon landing.
 
I'm just wondering what we're considering as the current timeline of thjat particular moment in Kanto. 1996 when the game was originally released, or 2000-something when the remakes were released?
 
Gentelman(and ladies), lets face it, thwere's just too much stuff in Pokemon world that cant be explained or reffered in Pokemon or real World.
 
I'm fairly certain that in Red and Blue Versions, the sign in front of Surge's gym refers to him as "The Lightning American." He might look too young to be in WWII or Vietnam, but there are other wars, like the Gulf War.

Or he fought in some other Pokemon war that was never mentioned, like some others have speculated.
 
VibuzeSG said:
I'm fairly certain that in Red and Blue Versions, the sign in front of Surge's gym refers to him as "The Lightning American." He might look too young to be in WWII or Vietnam, but there are other wars, like the Gulf War.
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They did mention that on the front of the Vermillion Gym, but I don't think that should count as evidence that he's from America. I mean, the Gym most likely used that for a cool sounding name or he made a stage name.

Remember, Misty was labeled as the "Tomboyish Mermaid" according to the Cerulean Gym, and she clearly wasn't a Mermaid at all (she was a Tomboy, yes, but she wasn't a mermaid, nor was she even hinted at being one by anyone other than the sign outside, not even she implied that she was one.).

And Erika was also listed as a Graceful Princess, and yet there was absolutely no hint at her even HAVING royal blood from anyone other than that sign. Even if she was the Mayor's daughter, that doesn't mean she is of royal blood.

This is one reason why we can't rely on Pokemon Gym signs as proof as to what they are.

Also, don't judge him by his looks, I mean, he may look like he's in his 30s, but he may actually be far older than that, since an Old man said that he was saved by Surge when they went to war together, which hints that he is actually a senior citizen. For all WE know, he could just as EASILY have been in WWII at the earliest. Though he most likely served in some sort of Pokemon War (I still doubt that Pokemon Takes place on Earth, especially since some of the locations and fauna seem to differ. Heck, they never even called themselves Japanese in the Games OR the Anime.)

BTW, Not Brainless, what did you mean by the Shermans? were you meaning the Germans?
 
VibuzeSG said:
I'm fairly certain that in Red and Blue Versions, the sign in front of Surge's gym refers to him as "The Lightning American." He might look too young to be in WWII or Vietnam, but there are other wars, like the Gulf War.
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I don't remember US soldiers using electric Pokemon to zap their enemies into paralysis during the Gulf War. :<
 
emember, Misty was labeled as the "Tomboyish Mermaid" according to the Cerulean Gym, and she clearly wasn't a Mermaid at all (she was a Tomboy, yes, but she wasn't a mermaid, nor was she even hinted at being one by anyone other than the sign outside, not even she implied that she was one.).

And Erika was also listed as a Graceful Princess, and yet there was absolutely no hint at her even HAVING royal blood from anyone other than that sign. Even if she was the Mayor's daughter, that doesn't mean she is of royal blood.

This is one reason why we can't rely on Pokemon Gym signs as proof as to what they are.
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That's TOTALLY different.

Obviously a Mermaid or Princess can be used to embellish someone, but why the hell would someone go by American...if they, y'know, weren't American?
 
Has anyone ever considered that he is just crazy, and he just is called Lt. and a gym leader because he is a strong trainer? See, now we're thinkin'. ;-)
 
Habunake said:
That's TOTALLY different.

Obviously a Mermaid or Princess can be used to embellish someone, but why the hell would someone go by American...if they, y'know, weren't American?
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There have been people who lie about their nationality/race.

I mean, In a certain James Bond movie (I believe it's the one where Bond was imprisoned in a Korean POW camp and he was framed by a mole in his agency), one of the Villains of that movie (or rather, villainess) is a Korean agent who masqueraded as an American Transfer agent who just so happened to be Bond's current partner (How did she do it? simple, she used the exact same molecular rearranger device that her employer, the main villain of that movie, used.) and she was also the one who framed Bond in that movie. So she, in effect, lied about her being an american.

It's a sad truth, but it's still what happens. Don't ask How I know of this movie, All I know is that the TV was on and i got some glimpses of it.
 
Well, mermaid and princess can be used figuratively to describe someone who is at home in the water and someone who is very dignified and elegant, respectively. I don't see any real meaning for American other than a literal one.

Also, the person in your example was a spy. Do you think Lieutenant Surge is a spy?
 
Cheesus Is Lord said:
Well, mermaid and princess can be used figuratively to describe someone who is at home in the water and someone who is very dignified and elegant, respectively. I don't see any real meaning for American other than a literal one.
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Maybe they meant someone who is cool or easygoing or freedom seeking? I mean, when People think of America, they always think of those qualities. So in that sense, America can have a figurative meaning.

Also, the person in your example was a spy. Do you think Lieutenant Surge is a spy?
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Considering how the Army (Of America or of any other nation) sometimes uses something known as "Sting Operations" (which is a very dirty tactic in war that is mostly considered Illegal), and that sometimes they send in spies in convert missions (whether it's a high ranking official or just a respected member of the team), yes, he may very well have been at one point or another (Spy isn't really an official position, since you can stop being a spy and return to your original position once the mission is complete).
 
Weedle Mchairybug said:
Maybe they meant someone who is cool or easygoing or freedom seeking? I mean, when People think of America, they always think of those qualities. So in that sense, America can have a figurative meaning.
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I don't. I think "rich, powerful, full of self-centred people." (By the way, that isn't a jibe against most people on this forum. It's just an unfortunate stereotype Americans are stuck with).

But there is no way I see Surge being spoken about here in a figuartive sense.
 
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